INDIAN LAND, S.C. — It’s the first day of school for many students across Lancaster County, but parents learned some of the school district’s bus routes for Monday were incorrect.
The school district posted on Facebook at 9 p.m. Sunday saying there were significant errors in the bus routes. The district said the information originally shared was believed to be accurate when it was first sent out.
“I knew there would be delays -- that’s a given,” Whitney Thomas told Channel 9′s Tina Terry on Monday. “I didn’t think I would have to worry at all that my son wasn’t going to get on the bus.”
Thomas says despite communication from the school district this weekend, it was unclear where her seventh grader should wait for the bus on Monday.
“I believe they sent it out on that Friday but they also sent it out on the weekend and they kept saying there would be updates, they’d put it on the Facebook page too, but my son’s stuff was never updated with a number,” Thomas told Terry. “My friend next door, her sons had an a.m. pickup, but no p.m., so it was just a whole mess.”
Thomas says her son had to ride to school with a neighbor who also missed the bus.
Dozens of other parents complained on the district’s Facebook page. Around 1 p.m. Monday, one person said, “No bus showed up this morning. Still not sure what bus she’s riding home or where it’ll drop her off yet.”
In a statement online, the superintendent for the district apologized for the confusion and frustration. He promised leaders were working to correct the areas and would provide correct information quickly.
Thomas says that didn’t happen for her, but she planned to let her son take the bus home, hoping for the best.
“I think he’ll be here OK, he’s got his little buddy system,” Thomas said.
The district responds
The Lancaster County School District told Channel 9′s Tina Terry that while bus routes were released on Friday, some routes weren’t visible. Updated information was released on Saturday, and a complete listing was released on Sunday. The district says the information was posted on the Safety & Transportation website and in its student information system parent portal.
The district says it’s working to figure out how the errors and omissions happened.
In the meantime, the district told parents to note that bus routes may vary 15 minutes before or after the scheduled times, and that those scheduled times are estimates.
Adding up
This was on top of concerns from parents that their kids wouldn’t be prepared for Monday’s first day of school. That’s because the district canceled orientations last week due to Tropical Storm Debby.
While school officials said they wanted to make sure Debby didn’t damage any schools, parents complained on social media that the cancellations put new students at a disadvantage.
“They really do need to figure out where the lockers are and where their classes are in school,” Joshua Cherry, the father of one new student, told Channel 9′s Almiya White.
The district says it’s working to make sure students are ready for the first day of classes despite not having orientation.
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